Many mystery shoppers breeze right through the site visits on their mystery shopping assignments only to hit a wall when they sit down to the write the reports. With time and money going hand in hand in mystery shopping, hitting a roadblock with your report writing can really cost you big bucks as a mystery shopper over the long run. Here are some great tips that will help you to right easier, faster reports, freeing up your time to complete more assignments and make even more money as a mystery shopper!
Know The Questions Before You Go. Most mystery shoppers will print out all of the paperwork for an assignment before performing the site visit. But do you take the time to truly read through each and every question before you do the site visit? Knowing the questions beforehand will help to guide you through the site visit, and will let you know which areas of the assignment you need to pay special attention to. It is not enough to simply read through the major topics or headers on the report. You need to know what each and every question is about. This way, when you are walking through your site visit, you can be sure to perform each required task and will be able to think through your responses to the questions as you shop away on-site.
Don’t Give Too Much Information. When you sit down at your computer to type out your report answers, keep in mind that too much information is just as bad as too little information. A great answer to a question will cut to the chase and answer the question right away, and will avoid unnecessary detail. It will also be objective, and will not go into your opinions and thoughts on the events that occurred unless they are asked for. When you cut out the extra details and opinions from your report, you will find that you can answer the questions much faster. What’s more, when you get in the habit of writing only the facts and answer the question in a concise manner, you will find that writing answers to the questions comes much faster and more naturally to you.
The Many Ways To Take Notes. Just as with the days of report writing and test taking back when you were in school, it’s easier to complete these assignments when you have notes to refer back to. On many mystery shopping assignments, the only way you can take notes to refer back to while you are writing your reports is with mental notes. If you aren’t good at remembering things, try to teach yourself some memory games like association. On other mystery shopping assignments, you actually have the ability to take notes if you are sneaky about it. You can jot down key details of your assignment on a shopping list you are carrying with you or on a digital device like a cell phone or other personal, hand-held device. If you have no other option, you can even head to the bathroom stall or fitting room stall for a moment of privacy to jot down some notes before you continue on with the assignment. Whatever way you take notes, you will find that completing the reports is much easier to do when you have notes to refer back to!
When you follow these steps to make report writing easier and faster, you will find that you have more free time on your hands to complete even more mystery shopping assignments and earn more money!
When I shop a place like an office supply store or department store, I grab a flyer at the entrance and use it to make notes as I shop.
I use a digital recorder to tape record all my shops and I keep it concealed in a cell phone holder which clips right onto my belt (and makes it look like a cell phone). This way, I capture all the details without driving myself crazy trying to remember everything. As soon as I leave the shop (and am safely out of site), I also talk into the recorder and add all the other details, like time in, time out, descriptions of the people I shopped and anything other details that would not be picked up by the recorder.
I fine this issue very informative for being a mystery shopper
I take my pda and it looks like I am texting but I am really taking notes